Post-Apocalypse Paradise
by NColt
Summary: Following the defeat of Malefor at the hands of Spyro and Cynder, the young dragons have awoken to find themselves alive, in a brilliant new world. Obligations and life-threatening obstacles behind them, Spyro and Cynder seem to finally have time for the one thing they could never find the time for: each other. SpyroXCynder. T for subtle mature themes.
1. Tranquility

_After writing 'Greenest Pastures', I watched the entirety of the Legend of Spyro game cutscenes on Youtube over the course of a week, which not only put me in loop with characters and events, but also gave me all the more inspiration for slice of life romance with these two._

 _This story will focus entirely post-game of Dawn of the Dragon, and will have five chapters, following the course of a full day._

* * *

Slowly but surely, the early morning sunlight illuminated the floor piece by piece, corner by corner. The light permeated through a trio of tall windows encircling the room, bringing heat with it, and replacing the night air with a comforting warmth.

Like a theater curtain being lifted, a scene began to reveal itself in the morning light. In the very heart of the room was a pair of young dragons, one purple with golden highlights, the other a deep black with red tones. The former, a male, was curled up around the other - a young female. His body nested hers - his wing a blanket, his tail a safeguard from movement during the night.

As the light reached the young purple dragon's face, his cheek gave a small twitch. By the time his brilliant horns were lit, he opened his eyes. Glancing around his surroundings he took in the familiar walls, as well as the dragon dozing peacefully in his coils.

"...Cynder?" The purple dragon whispered. There was no response but the subtlest of twitches from the dragoness's eyelids.

"Cynder." He called again, a little louder.

"..."

"Come on, Cynder, I know you're awake."

"...Do I have to be?" Cynder replied, her voice graveled and her eyes clenched in the morning sun.

"Technically, no." Spyro answered. "But as long as I'm around, I'm not going to let you sleep in until midday all the time."

"Hmm...I'm not a fan of that reasoning, try again." Cynder said flatly, rolling her shoulder blades and readjusting herself against Spyro's side with a content sigh.

Spyro glared at her with a patronizing expression. It was only the third morning they'd had since Malefor's defeat, but the purple dragon was already discovering how stubborn the black dragoness was outside of life-threatening situations, as well.

"Cynder, you know full well I'm no good at staying in bed once I'm wide-awake." Spyro said. "You might be able laze around, but I want to get up and do something."

Cynder replied by nuzzling her snout deeper into Spyro's chest, trying to hide her face from the assaulting light. Spyro continued his prying glare, but struggled to not cave to the adorable sight.

"Myou anna ow shometing?" Cynder asked through a muffled voice.

"What?" Spyro asked, unsure if he was responding or asking for clarification.

"Right now you're not the _'Purple Dragon of Legend'_." Cynder stated, freeing her mouth. "You're an extremely warm, comfortable bed set."

Spyro blushed.

"And last time I checked..." she continued with a yawn. "...comfy bed sets don't talk. And they certainly don't tell their occupants to get up."

"Alright, well, let me ask _you_ a question now." Spyro responded, now sporting a smirk. "Are you _sure_ you're not just feigning laziness so you can get away with cuddling a little longer?"

"...No..." Cynder said under her breath, not even sounding convincing to herself. "...Okay, maybe a bit of both."

Spyro couldn't help but beam. He bumped Cynder's snout with his own, and now it was Cynder's turn to blush.

"You know I love you, Cynder," Spyro said softly. "But there's a whole lot more to that than just relaxing together. I don't want to miss out on all these gorgeous days we've been having lately, especially since we fought so hard together to keep them."

Cynder let out a defeated sigh.

"Alright, alright...you know, it's totally like you to guilt me into things." She said with a grumble. Reluctantly she pulled herself from the male dragon's embrace, stepped out onto the warm stone floor, and stretched out her limbs and back.

"You know, you could have just gotten up earlier and said 'deal with it'. I'd have complained and given you those disappointed eyes you hate oh so much, but I'd have gotten over it. Eventually." She added.

"But then _I'd_ be the bad guy." Spyro pointed out, retracting his wing and doing a stretch of his own before standing up. "You've got to do things of your own accord, Cynder, isn't that the whole point?"

"How you can be so pretty to look at, but at the same time be such a manipulative twerp is _so_ beyond me." Cynder teased.

"It's a gift." Spyro admitted, following in toe as the black dragoness emerged from the relative shelter of the Temple Tower, and out onto a stone balcony overlooking the region.

Like a vision from a dream, the valley surrounding the Dragon Temple was a peaceful collage of nature at its finest. A few puffy clouds lazily drifted along an oceanic blue sky, and green-covered mountains touched the heavens on the other side of an endless meadow of lush flowers. The pleasant sounds of birds chirping and the wind gently rustling the healthy leaves of the summer trees was extremely calming, almost hypnotic.

"To think we almost lost all of this only a few days ago." Spyro contemplated, his eyes in a trance.

"You were amazing, that's for sure." Cynder said, smiling and placing a claw over Spyro's. "I know I couldn't be prouder. And I also know everyone else feels the same. You did the impossible, multiple times, and I especially have to thank you for that."

Spyro was jostled from his thoughts. He turned to gaze at Cynder with puzzlement.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"The _'Purple Dragon of Legend'_ may have saved the world from Malefor's destruction, but it was Spyro the Dragon who saved me from myself, protected me from harm, and chased after me when I didn't want to be chased."

Cynder squeezed Spyro's claw and paused for a moment, as if unsure how to word her next thoughts.

"You are the reason I'm here, the reason I finally had the blinds taken off my eyes from being in the dark for so long. This new world, where you and I are together - you created it through your own determination to save not only the world, but to save me. So I'll say it again - thank you, Spyro. You could have given up on me a hundred times, but you never did. Of all the things you've done, I think that's the most heroic of all."

Spyro had begun to open his mouth to modestly deny credit, but Cynder's tongue beat him to it. Before he knew it, he was trapped in a deep kiss that shot heat to the very tips of his wings. After a few moments, Cynder withdrew and gave the purple dragon a glowing smile.

"...I guess what I'm trying to say is, I love you too, and I could never see it any other way." She said, nudging her head underneath Spyro's chin in a loving embrace.

"Cynder, I-...I don't know what to say." Spyro murmured, closing his eyes and returning her embrace.

"Well that's just fine, you don't have to say anything." She said dismissively. "You've said how you feel numerous times in your actions up till now. Like I said, I just felt it was time I shared my thoughts a little more deeply as well. It's only fair, right?"

Spyro said nothing. He simply nodded with a glowing smile, which Cynder mirrored back.

"Alright," she said suddenly, taking off into the air with a flap of her wings, and hovering a few dozen feet above Spyro's head. "So. Please do enlighten me, mister sleep-in police, what did you have in mind for today?"

Spyro's emotionally-charged face turned into a playful one, and he shot into the air to join his mate - matching her altitude.

"First off, how about a little exercise?" He suggested. "My joints are cramped from you laying on them for nine hours."

While Spyro laughed immediately upon seeing Cynder's shocked expression, the black dragoness scoffed loudly.

"Excuse me, you're lucky the _Former Queen of Darkness_ finds your peasant body comfortable enough to lay against in the first place." She shot, crossing her upper legs. "You should be _grateful_ for those cramped joints."

"Oh, should I?" Spyro said sarcastically, all too much enjoying the rise he was getting. "I mean, I wouldn't mind if you weren't so boney, you know?"

"What was that?"

"You know, your horns, tail and claws - all even sharper than mine. Makes cuddling a little difficult sometimes." The purple dragon went on.

"Why you-"

"Kinda like hugging a porcupine, really."

"Oh, that's it. Dragon, you've just sealed your fate!"

Her playful attitude now brimmed with irritation, Cynder shot through the air like a bullet, headed straight for Spyro, who quickly took off down towards the green lands below the towering temple.

The morning air was now filled with another sound asides those of nature - that of Cynder rattling off all the things she'd do to Spyro as soon as she caught up, and Spyro's genuine, joyous laughter.


	2. Regalement

_There is an absolutely gorgeous and adorable artwork I commissioned from an artist, based off this chapter. You can find a link to it on my profile! Please take a look!_

* * *

"C'mon, Cynder! You're never going to catch me at that rate!" Came a young male's voice, echoing through the air with jubilance.

"Does your small mind even comprehend how screwed you are?" Retorted a young female, voice filled with focused irritation. "Malefor was _nothing_ compared to what I'll do to you!"

Like two birds chasing each other in a kind of aerial dance, Cynder dogged after Spyro, the two of them nothing but blurred shadows sailing through the air. Spyro dashed through trees, missed incoming boulders and branches by a split second and took dramatic sudden turns mid-flight, but nothing could shake Cynder off. The black dragon stayed hot on his tail, her eyes fixated on his movements like a hawk after its prey.

"Last warning. Stop now and your queen _may_ show you mercy, dragon boy!" Cynder called, effortlessly dodging a mossy stone even at her blinding speed.

"Flirting won't get you anywhere, Cynder!" Spyro taunted, taking a sharp turn into a grove of trees.

The towering Dragon Temple rapidly faded into the distance as the two dragons approached the opposite end of the valley. While Spyro maintained the lead for now, it was a diminishing one. What Cynder lacked in power, she made up for in agility. Nothing was wasted in her movements, and with every obstacle dodged, she grew closer and closer to her prey.

"You doing okay back there Cyn-whhaaa!"

Spyro's mocking was cut short by a sharp gust of wind slamming into his body from behind. He was nearly thrown into a tree trunk, and after recovering, he glanced back to find Cynder sneering evilly - eyes lite with a white light.

"Wait, was that a wind blast!?" Spyro shouted, unsure how he felt about dodging obstacles as well as attacks from behind.

"Whoops. Your butt just looks so cute from back here." Cynder said in a sickeningly sweet voice. "Thought I'd use it for target practice."

With a powerful roar, another transparent blast of air shot from Cynder's gaping mouth, hurtling towards Spyro.

"And to think we were cuddling not even fifteen minutes ago!" Spyro yelled, dodging pressure blasts of air through a series of impressive aerobatics.

"A true dragoness knows when to be affectionate, and when to show her boyfriend when he's being a brat." Cynder stated, firing off a more concentrated blast. "Guess it just goes to show that you really know how to pick em', huh, hero?"

His cockiness having been knocked out of him, Spyro made a desperate roll in mid-air, watching the potent blast of air soar right by his wing. This was bad. Cynder was serious, now. If he didn't watch himself, he was going to get blasted into a tree or rock - and that would be the least of his problems. It was time for evasive action.

Spyro took a steep upwards turn, and darted out through the top of the trees, out into the open sky. Cynder's dark form followed suit, legs close to her body to cut through the air as effectively as possible. Just as Spyro reached a plateau in his ascent and began to change direction, Cynder fired off another blast of air. Not enough time to dodge it, Spyro instinctively curled his wings together as a shield, bracing himself for the impact.

"Wrong move, Spyro." Cynder muttered under her breath. The hazy spear of wind collided with the male dragon, and sent him spiraling helplessly through the sky. Cynder wasted no time - she shot forwards and tackled the purple dragon before he could regain his bearings. Together, the two of them plummeted rapidly towards the open grass fields below.

With a muffled thud, Spyro's back collided with the ground - acting as a cushion for Cynder, who made sure to immobilize her prey with her weight the moment he landed.

"Checkmate." Cynder said conclusively, standing proud on Spyro's chest.

"Ack! Damn it, that hurts..." Spyro winced, his back giving him a painful throb. With one eye closed in pain, he gazed up at the female dragon with a defeated expression - his front legs curled, his wings flat against the soft reflective grass. Something about being pinned by the feisty, relentless black dragon made him forget all about his back throbbing, and instead, gave him a stream of butterflies in his stomach. Whether it was Cynder's _Fear Aura_ ability or just his excited anticipation, he couldn't tell.

"And now..." Cynder began, teasing the fallen dragon with a sharp claw beneath his chin. "You're right where I want you."

"You know, when you're not ten times your normal size and trying to kill me in the name of the Dark Master...you're really cute when you're on the hunt." Spyro chuckled, eyeing the claw tickling his chin.

"'Flirting won't get you anywhere'." Cynder mimicked, laying herself on the pinned dragon's chest. Her front claws laid just under Spyro's neck, her face now only inches from his. Spyro could feel his cheeks flushing red, as Cynder's bright emerald eyes locked into his.

"So...what are you going to do, now?" Spyro asked, his anticipation hinging on the question.

"Well, first, I'm gonna watch you squirm uncomfortably and blush up a storm, like you're doing right now." The black dragon said slyly.

Spyro became even more flustered. He could feel traces of sweat brewing just underneath his scales.

"Secondly, I'm going to make you pay." She said calmly, tail twitching behind her.

"Make me pay?" Spyro repeated.

"That's right. All I wanted to do was sleep in with you today and take it easy, but as usual you can't sit still." Cynder explained. "So, I'm going to force all that energy right out of you."

"But I-w-whoa! He-y, w-what are you doing?"

Spyro's body gave a little twitch, as Cynder's claw made a stroking motion along his golden chest.

"Oh, not to mention you went and started pressing buttons you ought not to by opening that big mouth of yours." The dragoness continued, drawing circles on Spyro's underbelly with one claw.

"H-Hey now! T-this is getting into t-torture territory!" Spyro chocked out, trying and failing to push the female off of him.

"And now here we are, with you suffering the consequences at my complete mercy." Cynder finished, taking great pleasure in watching Spyro try his best not to laugh.

"T-To be fair, all I was t-trying t-to do was get you m-motivated for a good c-chase!" Spyro said, his composure dwindling.

"Yeah? And how's that working out for you?" Cynder asked sarcastically, slowly dragging a claw down the purple dragon's left side.

"Great, actually!" Spyro said, a lot louder than he meant to. "I h-had a lot of fun! And I k-know you did too!"

"I guess that's true." Cynder admitted. "Kinda having fun right now too, not gonna lie."

"Y-You were r-right, by the way!" Spyro managed, more laughter than words coming from him now. "C-clearly you've suc-ceed-ed where Male-for c-couldn't!"

"And thousands of ape solders, not to mention my evil form." Cynder added. "' _The Purple Dragon of Legend_ , brought down by simple tickling'. Oh, just _wait_ till I tell Sparx and the Elders. You won't hear the end of it."

Feeling content in her vengeance - at least for now - Cynder finally let up. She withdrew from Spyro's chest and let the emasculated young dragon breath again.

As Spyro sat up and began to shake the blades of grass from his wings- not to mention begin to regain his composure - a sudden realization came over his face.

"Sparx..." he began. "I wonder how he and everyone else are doing, actually."

"You told them we needed some time to ourselves after getting back, didn't you?" Cynder said, sitting regally and reaching an itch on her wing. "It's only been a couple days since then. They can't be missing us _that_ much, yet."

"True, but it wouldn't hurt to drop by, would it? While we're out and about as it is." Spyro reasoned.

Cynder eyed the purple dragon for a few moments, then smirked.

"Yeah, I guess that's fine. You can give Sparx assurance that I haven't eat you within the past forty-eight hours, and I can tell him I put the world's hero into total submission with just one claw."

"You'd better not," Spyro chuckled, flapping his wings and taking to the air once more. "Because you're right, he'd never let me hear the end of it."

"That's the idea!" Cynder jeered, suddenly taking off from the ground with a powerful wing beat and making a heading in the direction of the Dragon City - Warfang.

"H-hey! Get back here! I'm serious!" Spyro called after her, picking up speed and following in suit. " _Sparx doesn't need to know!_ "


	3. Foresight & Hindsight

_Welcome to the half-way point! An extra long chapter for an extra number of characters._

* * *

The sun had now finished more than a quarter of its journey across the sky - perched far above the horizon, it had eradicated nearly every lingering shadow from the world below. All shadows that is, but two - the shadows of two young dragons, gliding far above the earth on gentle winds, heading towards the ancient city of Warfang.

"You still back there, Spyro?" Cynder yelled, maintaining the lead she'd started at the Temple.

"Of course! I'm not _that_ worn out." The purple dragon retorted, surveying the ground below and taking in the familiar landmarks.

"Oh, no, that's not what I meant." Cynder said flatly. "I meant, now that we've confirmed that I'm faster than you, are you sure you can keep up?"

Cynder snickered to herself, and Spyro put on a frown while he gave a violent wing beat to close the space between them.

"Okay, I could deal with the tickling because that was actually kinda funny, but there is _no way_ I am getting emasculated about my speed." The male dragon declared with a chuckle. "If you weren't pumping my tail full of air blasts, I could have kept out of your reach all day."

"Oh, is that so?" Cynder said skeptically, glancing sideways at her gliding mate and being sure he saw her expression.

"Completely so." Spyro replied.

"Well, you wanna know what I think?" Cynder asked.

"Yeah?"

"Put your gems where your mouth is." Cynder said, competition now apparent in her voice. "No air blasts, no tickling. First one to Warfang wins. If you win, I'll concede. If I win, emasculation numero dos sets sail with no complaining."

"You're on." Spyro agreed, returning Cynder's confident smile. The two evened out their glides until they were in perfect sync, and set their sights on the distant sight of Warfang.

"Ready...set...GO!" Cynder yelled, before the two of them took off like rockets into the horizon.

* * *

"Honestly, Volteer..." A deep green dragon began, his voice filled with exhaustion. "Can we _please_ just give out the work schedule already? These poor moles have volunteered their valuable time and have been kept waiting long enough, and we have a city to finish rebuilding."

"Oh of course, Terrador!" An electric-yellow dragon replied in earnest. "Why I wouldn't dream of keeping these kind folk from their work, they do such a splendid job with what they do and enjoy doing what they do, why keep them from it? I'm sure they'll have this grand old city rebuilt better than new in no time - they did such a splendid job the first time around, I've no reason to doubt they'll do an even more splendid job the second go of it. Why that is to say-"

Terrador, the Dragon Elder of Earth, sighed deeply. Just then, a bright blue dragon leaned over to his ear.

"You know old friend, even without Ignitus's help, I'm fairly certain we can re-affix the gag if we both jump him at once." The blue elder dragon whispered.

"No, Cyril." Terrador whispered back. "It'll just bottle up like last time, and come out worse later on. 'Ride the Storm', as Ignitus always use to say."

"-after all, these wonderful mole-folk originally built this lovely city for us dra-...why would you look at that!" Volteer said suddenly with fascination, staring towards the northern sky. "Don't look now dear fellows but I do believe we have company - and fast company, at that!"

The remaining two dragon elders turned their attention to the sky, just in time to see two small shapes rapidly approaching.

"Why, I do believe that's Spyro and Cynder." Cyril stated.

"Back already?" Terrador added.

"Ooooh, young Master Spyro and young Lady Cynder! How exciting!" Volteer exclaimed, as the two young dragons came in for a landing.

The purple and black dragons came to a sharp stop inches from hitting the ground, kicking up a massive cloud of dust in the process. The onlooking elders peered through the veil of debris, waiting to see again the two young dragons who had just recently saved the entire world.

"Hah!" Cynder shouted in victory, majestically landing down to the stone street. "I touched the stone way before you did."

"No way, my claw was way ahead of yours!" Spyro insisted, flapping his wings a few times once grounded before folding them to his body.

"As if - you're being delusional." Cynder wrote off.

"Delusional?" Spyro repeated, starting to get irritated.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Came the booming voice of the Earth Dragon Elder, Terrador. He slowly walked up between the two dragons, looking down at them with a puzzled expression.

"What's this all about?" He asked inquisitively. "Spyro. I thought you said Cynder and yourself would be on leave of absence for several days. Has something happened?"

"Yes, you did seem to be in quite a rush." Cyril, the Ice Dragon Elder commented. "Pray tell, nothing too disastrous has occurred again already, has it?"

There was a long moment of silence as Spyro and Cynder ceased their argument, and looked around to notice the numerous eyes all staring at them. Not only eyes of the elders, but the many moles as well.

"...Oh, no, we're fine, really." Spyro said reassuringly. "Cynder and I were just racing here to see who could win, that's all."

"Oh how marvelous!" Volteer exclaimed again. "Nothing like a grand old competition between dragons of kin, eh Cyril?"

"Nothing at all, I'm sure." Cyril replied with deadpan.

"Spyro just wanted to drop by and say hello." Cynder said with a smile. "So, here we are."

"What are all three of you doing here?" Spyro inquired. "I thought you'd be scattered around the regions to help the inhabitants by now."

"A very logical assumption, young dragon. And the truth is, we will be. But before that, we're assisting the moles in their plans to rebuild the fair city of Warfang." Cyril explained, looking over the landscape of rooftops.

"Thanks to the Cheetah Village so close by, we've long since sent eagles to deliver the message that Malefor has been defeated, to every region." Terrador added.

"By this time next week the entire world will know of your heroics first-hand, Master Spyro." Volteer said with a smile. "And once this massive city, built for dragons is re-finished, it will become the new home for all manners of dragon-kind - at least temporarily."

"The dragons will be moving here?" Cynder asked, genuinely interested for the first time since this long-winded conversation started.

"That's correct." Cyril said. "Master Spyro may have healed the world and put it back together - well, for the most part - but there is still considerable damage all over the realms. Many species are confused, and are facing homelessness until they can repair their homes. We will move the dragons here to Warfang relatively easily, then spread out to assist where we are needed."

"At any rate, I'm glad you two are alright." Terrador said, locking eyes with Spyro and Cynder respectively. "If anything serious does occur, let us know immediately."

"Of course I will." Spyro said with a nod.

"But for the time being, please do enjoy yourselves." Volteer chimed in, resting a claw on Spyro's head. "You two have more than earned a good, long rest. You have been through more than any others your age could ever imagine going through - more than even old dragons like us have been through. Allow us to take it from here, and clean up the mess that remains from Malefor's destruction."

"...Thank you, Volteer." Spyro said, tilting his head under the Elder Dragon's weight.

"For once, I concur with Volteer's babbling." Cyril chuckled. "You've spent an awful lot of time together, Spyro, Cynder, but almost none of it was for the two of you. I for one applaud your decision to take a retreat together for a while. You have certainly earned it."

"Come on guys, you're gonna make him blush." Cynder giggled, watching Spyro finally break free from Volteer's claw.

"One more thing...have any of you seen Sparx?" Spyro asked, using one claw to mess with his golden head spikes.

"The dragonfly?" Volteer said. "I do believe I saw him just this morning. He's been here with us since we arrived in the city. He respected your wishes of privacy at the temple, but he hasn't done much asides from loitering around here since then."

"Sounds like Sparx." Spyro muttered with a shake of his head. "Cynder, mind coming to look for him with me?"

Cynder, who had since perched herself up on a broken stone pillar, let out a deep groan as she stretched out her body.

"Sure. You forget, I've got a stake in finding him too, remember?" She said with a villainous grin that made Spyro's insides lurch.

"Such a terrifying smile, Cynder." Cyril pointed out. "It reminds me of your Corrupted Self. What on earth are you talking about-"

"-she's not talking about anything!" Spyro interjected, leaping up onto the sandstone pillar and nudging Cynder hard with his head. "But we _really_ gotta go find Sparx now, so I'll leave you guys to it. Thanks again!"

As Spyro managed to push the black dragon from the pillar, the two began to walk down one of the city's many maze-like side streets. Faintly, Cynder's giggling mixed with Spyro whispering something could be heard. The three Elder Dragons stared off after them in total confusion.

* * *

With the sounds of Volteer's blabbering now long gone, the empty streets of Warfang surrounded the two young dragons. The echoing sounds of their footsteps became almost deafening in the dead silence. As Spyro concentrated on peering down alleyways and occasionally calling out Sparx' name, Cynder remained silent and followed in toe, watching the purple dragon with a keen interest.

"Hey, Spyro." She said quietly.

"Yeah?" The purple dragon asked absently.

"Would you mind telling me about you and Sparx?" The dragoness asked.

Now that was something Spyro had not been expecting. He turned to look at Cynder with curiosity, only to see the same thing on her face.

"Uh...sure, what do you want to know?"

"Well, not to come on too strongly, but, everything." Cynder said, joining the male by his side. "You two are inseparable, and it just seems so...odd to me. Not that I don't like Sparx or anything of course. Well I mean, I do kind of hate his guts, but you know, not really."

Spyro stared at her quizzically.

"Sorry, I'm still working on the, _'let's talk about our thoughts and feelings'_ thing." Cynder admitted.

"No, that's fine." Spyro said with an understanding smile. "Well...I guess I'll start from the beginning, then."

As the two walked side by side through the ancient city, Spyro began his tale as best he knew - told to him by his adopted parents, and Ignitus. He told of how he first came to Sparx' parents through a river as an egg, and how he was raised alongside the golden dragonfly as a brother. How it was Ignitus who told him of his destiny to protect the world from Malefor's return, and how, despite not even being of the same species, the fragile dragonfly had stayed by his side ever since. All throughout Cynder remained attentive, never taking her eyes off the purple dragon.

"...Through all of his complaining and talk, and laziness, he's never, ever abandoned me." Spyro said nostalgically. "And I owe him a lot for that."

"That's incredible." Cynder said softly, her eyes glazed over in thought. "It amazes me how we came from the same season of eggs, but yet our paths have been so different."

Now it was Spyro's turn to listen. Almost entirely forgetting his mission to locate Sparx by this point, Spyro focused his attention on Cynder. It was rare for her to open up of her own accord - the fact she was doing it for the second time in two days was remarkable.

"By comparison, I've been alone from the very beginning." Cynder said solemnly. "From the moment I hatched, I was being manipulated to be a killing machine for Malefor. Never given a chance to even wonder who my parents were, never given a choice of what I wanted to see or do in life. Just born to experience darkness and evil."

"Cynder, you were never-"

"-I wasn't born evil, I know." Cynder finished for him.

The loud footsteps they had both been hearing had ceased. Now, they sat together at an empty city intersection. While Cynder stared at the ground in deep thought, Spyro watched the black dragon's face with a level of concern he rarely displayed.

"I'm not trying to garnish sympathy, Spyro," she said with a weak smile. "I'm just saying that from the very beginning, it's seemed to me that the universe has done its damndest to make me evil - to either help Malefor destroy this world, or to be stricken down by justice. Much in the same way the universe has done its best to ensure that, through all odds, you somehow rose to the challenge and conquered that evil - even stopping Armageddon itself."

Cynder's gaze turned towards the sky. She took a deep breath, and for a long moment, simply allowed the early evening sunshine to bathe her face and body.

"...Which is why it just...makes me so happy that you defied my fate _for_ me, you know? Through you I was finally given my own choice. I can't even believe this is my life now. It's incredible. You're incredible."

Cynder's gaze finally connected with Spyro's, and it was then that Spyro noticed the faintest of tears forming in the corners of the black dragon's eyes.

Spyro had never moved so quickly in his entire life.

"Cynder...you've _gotta_ stop giving me all the credit." He said, his golden wing wrapping itself around the two of them. The dragoness accepted his embrace, resting her head underneath his chin.

"You've been making your own choices since the day I freed you in Convexity. I would never, ever have been able to do any of the feats I did without your help, or without my goal having been to find you. Since we woke from that crystal, you put everything you had into helping me, every step of the way - from the journey through the realms, right up to confronting Malefor with me. Magical tethers or no, only a strong, pure being could have accomplished those things with me."

Cynder took another deep, calming breath, trying her best to get her emotions under control. Even if they were tears of joy, she hated crying, especially in front of Spyro.

"That aside, do you know what I know?" Spyro asked quietly.

"I think that remains to be seen." Cynder replied, her voice equally soft.

"I know that from here on out, my goals, my destiny, my life - you will be a part of all of it." The purple dragon promised. "You're not alone anymore, Cynder, and you never will be again. I'll make sure of it."

Cynder felt a jolt of warmth shoot through her body, focusing in the core of her chest. She felt Spyro's wing retract, and he stepped back to give her a beaming smile. The black dragon couldn't find the words to respond. All she could do was stare into his purple eyes. The same eyes that had looked at her with hope in Convexity. The same eyes that had looked at her with love upon waking up from the end of Malefor's reign.

"Spyro, I-"

"SPYRO!"

The two dragons jumped at the sudden loud voice from behind, their focus entirely broken. Buzzing over the rooftop behind them was an immensely bright golden dragonfly, waving both hands extravagantly as if he wasn't visible enough already.

"Oh, hey Sparx." Spyro greeted with a chuckle, still standing by Cynder, who had wiped the wetness from her eyes and regained her composure.

"It's about time you showed up." The black dragon teased. "We've been wandering around looking for you like rats in a maze."

"Well gee, that sounds like a _flawless_ plan, which of you dunderheads came up with that one?" Sparx mocked, crossing his arms and hovering down to eye level with the pair of young dragons. "For your info, I was down by the river. I couldn't take the yellow guy going on and on anymore. But if you two had just stayed put, I'd have found ya."

"I'm glad you're doing okay, Sparx." Spyro said, his second-nature to ignore the dragonfly's attitude by this point.

"Me? Well I'm just glad you're still okay-well...both of you." The dragonfly admitted, rubbing one arm. "I'm, uh, you know, sorry for not trusting you befo-well, always, Cynder. I guess after helping my buddy save the world, I should probably cut you a break, huh?"

"That'd be the nice thing to do, sure." Cynder said calmly, much to the dragonfly's unamusement.

"But, apology accepted." Cynder went on. "We both love Spyro, so we should do our best to get along - if not for us, then for him, right?"

The dragoness winked, and Sparx, for the first time ever, nodded in agreement.

"Couldn't have said it better myself." He applauded.

"So, Sparx, it's looking like Cynder and I are going to need just another day or so to ourselves." Spyro explained, glancing sideways at Cynder. "Will you be okay hanging around here for just a little longer? I'm sure the Elders and moles would love to have your help."

Like a child being told to clean his room, Sparx tilted his head back and gave an exaggerated sigh.

" _Awww, man_. If I knew you were just gonna guilt me into helping those blowhards, I might have just stayed by the river..."

"Sparx." Spyro said, narrowing his eyes.

"Yeah yeah, I know - I'll see what I can do." The dragonfly grumbled. "Hope you two lovebirds have fun. I'll be here when you're ready to join society again!"

"Will do. Thanks, Sparx." Spyro said with a smile.

With that, the small glowing dragonfly turned tail and began to fly off. But in those few seconds, Cynder's emerald eyes glanced at Spyro, scanning his disposition.

He was completely off guard. _Perfect._

"Sparx, wait up!" Cynder called out, running from her spot next to Spyro. "I've got something I need to tell you before you go!"

The look on Spyro's face was of pure terror, as he realized his mistake. Now, it was too late. By the time he reached them, Cynder was already whispering into the dragonfly's ear, and Sparx' resulting expression was the stuff of Spyro's deepest nightmares.

 _"WHOOAA! Wait, HOLD UP. She did WHAT to you WHEN!?"_ The magical, glowing insect bellowed with sheer joy.

It was in that moment that Spyro thought to himself, maybe, just maybe...he should have stayed in bed this morning after all.


	4. Familiarity

_Are dragons completely carnivorous? If so, what sorts of things do they eat? Things to think about in this chapter!_

* * *

"You know..." Spyro began with a heavy exhale, as the evening winds rushed against his face. "I'm not completely sure I can ever forgive you for that one."

Following a few feet behind him like a shadow was a young black dragon, who looked as if she was about to bust a gut in laughter. Every time her purple flight mate glanced back to give her an unamused expression, the female dragon would completely lose it all over again.

" _Y-You should have seen your face!_ " She managed to get out, wiping the wetness from her eyes.

"I'll be as old as the Elders by the time he forgets about that one." Spyro mused with deadpan. "Thanks for that, Cynder."

"Aww, I love you too, Spyro." Cynder said in a playful, mocking tone.

Spyro glanced back at the black dragoness once more. She hadn't stopped smiling since they left, and now she was laughing to the point of tears for the first time.

The very first night they had returned, she had sought to curl up next to him to sleep, and if someone had told Spyro that Cynder would ever assault him with tickling at any point prior to Malefor's defeat, the purple dragon would have laughed in their face.

There was no denying it, Spyro thought to himself. She was changing, right in front of him. Slowly opening up, slowly expressing more and more emotion. She was more playful, less cynical, more talkative. She was beginning to accept the idea that her entire life was ahead of her, accepting the fact that she had overcome all the forces that wished her to do evil.

For the first time, her entire life was her own. At this thought Spyro couldn't help but wear a sentimental smile.

"Hey! _Spyro!_ " Came Cynder's voice, piercing through his thoughts like a jagged spike.

"W-what? Oh, sorry, Cynder!" The male dragon said with a chuckle. "Guess I'm just spacing out a bit."

"Well, don't," the black dragon said flatly. "We can't _both_ be basket cases - who's going to watch where we're going?"

"An excellent point." Spyro said with a more genuine laugh this time.

"Hey, by the way, do you mind if we find something to eat before we head back to the temple?" Cynder asked suddenly. "I'm absolutely starving."

Spyro blinked. He hadn't even thought about food all day. True, his stomach had grumbled softly once or twice within the past couple hours, but he had been far too preoccupied with more important things - like comforting female dragons, talking to dragon elders and fleeing from Sparx upon his secret getting out.

"You know, that's a good idea." Spyro agreed, his purple eyes now starting to scan the far-away ground below. "We should eat now while there's still some light. I don't want to try looking for food when it's already too dark to see."

"What do you recommend?" The dragoness asked.

"There's a river not far from the temple." The purple dragon remembered. "Why don't we go fishing together?"

"Oh, Spyro." Cynder said quietly. "You know, that would have probably sounded a whole lot cuter and endearing, if I actually knew how to fish."

"Wait, you've never fished before?" Spyro asked, taken aback. "What have you been eating up till now?"

"Dunno. Thinking long-term, probably the souls of dragons and other innocent creatures." Cynder said with deadpan. "As for short-term, I survived on berries and things I found in the woods after you brought me back from Convexity, and after I ran away. Then we got locked in crystal for a few years, and I haven't eaten a whole lot since."

Spyro was floored.

"Berries?" He repeated in disbelief. "And, what do you _mean_ you haven't eaten since? Cynder, we've been back for a few days already, not to mention how long it was since we came out of that crystal. You need to eat something. You should have said something before now - I thought you were just grabbing things late at night."

"Yeah, those berries weren't very good." The black dragon said with distaste, utterly swerving around the massive scolding she was getting.

"Come on, I'm teaching you how to fish." Spyro said with finality.

"You're the expert." Cynder submitted. "Lead the way."

The two continued on in silence, making their way back to the quiet serenity of the stone Dragon Temple. From there, Spyro made a turn, and the two headed east towards the winding river that bordered the Dragon Temple's lands. Once the mighty river was in full view, Spyro signaled to drop down in altitude considerably, until the two of them soared down the river, just over the tree line.

"We're looking for a dip in the river - sorta like a mini waterfall where the fish can be more easily seen." The male dragon explained.

"So I see." Cynder replied.

"There!" Spyro called, finding a noticeable dip that spanned the entire width of the river. "Here, follow me."

Taking a mid-air swerve, the purple dragon flew downwards, but, to Cynder's surprise, not to the river's edge. Instead, the male dragon descended until the tip of his claws were just above the rushing water. He then peered around through the crystal clear stream, as if looking for something.

"...What are you doing?" Cynder inquired, still hovering several feet above his head.

"I'm looking for a sturdy place to stand." He explained. "Best way to catch fish is to get right into the river, and nab them from a solid standing ground. Which is basically any rock, or group of rocks that isn't slippery with moss. If you slip, you don't just end up hurting yourself, you scare away any nearby fish. It's important to find a good spot, then stand still until you're ready to strike."

Cynder looked genuinely impressed. She watched Spyro poke his front claw into different areas of the river to touch certain rocks, hovering around like a bumblebee prodding at different areas of the same flower. Finally, he touched down gently into a spot just a few feet downstream from the dip, and looked up at her expectantly.

"Come on, you're doing this too." Spyro reminded her, snapping her out of her trance.

"Yes, sir." The dragoness replied with a hint of sarcasm, hovering downwards. She began to look through the water, looking for smooth rocks with no signs of moss.

"...Alright, I think I have it." She said, slowly lowering her claws into the water.

"Great job," Spyro praised. "Now let's see if we can't catch some-"

There was a gasp and a sudden splash, and Spyro instinctively drew out his wing as a shield from the assaulting spray of water. When he took another look, the black and red female was standing up from the riverbed, shaking herself off.

"Not a word." She said coolly, as she took off into the air again.

"I'm being a good boy, thank you very much." Spyro pronounced with a chuckle.

For a good few minutes, Cynder learned as she went, testing rocks and stances until she finally found a spot that worked. From there, the two dragons carefully observed their own reflections in the water, watching and patiently waiting for a late dinner to arrive. It didn't take long for Spyro to begin snagging fish with his claws one after the other, to which he carefully placed on an outstretched wing for temporary storage.

Then, there was another sudden splash, and Spyro's free wing twitched instinctively. But this time it was not a fault of slippery rocks.

"Ha!" Cynder let out with pride. She turned around in the water, and held up her tail. On the end was a fish, speared through by her razor-sharp, spear-like appendage. Spyro's eyes were wide, and he simply stared in awe as the sleek dragoness whisked the fish off her tail with a whiplash, and rested it on an outstretched wing of her own.

"...My emotions are very confused right now." Spyro said softly, to which Cynder immediately began to laugh.

"Can't decide whether to ogle in fascination or be terrified?" She surmised, smirking devilishly while cleaning the tip of her tail off in the sparkling water.

"Something like that." He said, a slight blush coming to his cheeks.

"Alright, we've got six now. Most of them yours, but I gotta admit I'm feeling pretty good for my first time fishing." Cynder said with a clear sense of accomplishment.

"Yeah, you did really well for your first time." Spyro agreed, trotting out of the stream and being careful to not spill the fish. Cynder soon followed suit, and the two dragons combined their spoils in a pile on the riverbank. After looking over them to double check their physical health, Spyro sat back on his haunches.

"Since I, uh, didn't really think to bring a pail or anything from the temple, I'll just roast them here for us, and we can head back after we eat." Spyro said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

To his surprise, Cynder, for once, didn't reply with a sarcastic jab. The black dragon had gingerly laid herself on the grass, patiently waiting for dinner to be finished.

"You know, this is kinda fun." Cynder reflected, looking around at the forest surrounding them, the sun now red and setting into the horizon in the distance.

"Really?" Spyro asked, grabbing fish one by one and placing them on a flat rock on the riverbank, before consuming them in a bright, heated flame.

"Really. Just...being out here and learning things, just doing things with you, just us. It's great." The black dragon explained, laying back and gazing at the darkening sky.

Within a few short moments, Spyro placed the pile of now fully-cooked fish down on the grass, and split the number evenly between them.

"You know...I'm really glad to hear you say that, because I totally agree." The purple dragon said, locking eyes with her. "I'd be happy to teach you everything I know - after that, we can learn things together, if you'd like."

"Yeah, I'd like that." Cynder said quietly. "For now though, let's eat and head back. It's going to start getting colder now, and I have an eggplant-colored bed calling my name."


	5. Intimacy

_The final chapter! Thank you so much for reading until this point. I appreciate the numerous reviews already given, as well as all future ones. This was always meant to be a five chapter story, but I'm surprised by all the attention this got so quickly - perhaps we'll see a sequel some day. :)_

 _For now, thank you again, and enjoy!_

* * *

Its daily cycle now complete, the glistening sun finally settled itself behind the opposite horizon, bringing a calming, cool breeze with its parting. The dragon temple, its stones brilliant with a demanding presence in the light of the sun, stood quietly now as a fortress of safety and refuge in the darkness.

Among the mountain of stone bricks and black, void windows that dotted the temple's walls, a single window at the peak of the temple shown dimly in the night. It was a small chamber - now a make-shift bedroom for two young dragons.

Cynder allowed herself to collapse to the central rug with a fidgeting stretch, letting her muscles tense and relax one by one until she gave a deep sigh of content. This got a smile and a chuckle from a certain male dragon entering the room just after her.

"Ready for bed already, huh?" Spyro asked, using his head to close the chamber door behind himself.

"Mmm. That's the first time I ever tried cooked fish." Cynder said aloud, her eyes closed, her wings laid out across the decorative rug. "It was really good. And I'll be honest, I wasn't sure what I was going to think at first."

"Gotta admit, I feel a little sluggish now, myself." The purple dragon admitted, cracking the joints in his neck as he followed Cynder's lead. "And, I'll take that as a compliment. I'm glad you liked it."

"-Ah!" Cynder let out, just as Spyro's front claw drew to step onto the rug. The purple dragon paused abruptly to stare at her in confusion.

"Once you step on this rug and lay down, understand that you're not getting up again until tomorrow afternoon." Cynder spelled out for him, staring at him with eyes that a spider in her web might give an unsuspecting fly. "Go about your nightly routine now, or forever hold your peace."

"Oh...is that so?" Spyro responded with a freshly lit flame of playfulness. He promptly laid down on his stomach just outside the rug's edge, watching as the dragoness rolled around to better face him, her tail flicking with anticipation.

"Gee, well, I'm not sure, now. Lemme think for a minute." Spyro said, sarcasm dripping off every word.

"You're such a brat." Cynder said with a laugh.

"Hey, you didn't _have_ to give me an ultimatum, you know." The male dragon replied, cocking his head and folding his front claws.

"Perhaps not, but I'm just trying to ensure that my pillow doesn't get up and run away when I'm trying to sleep." The female retorted.

"Well I guess that's the price you pay for liking your pillows to come with legs." Spyro bantered back with a smirk.

"But those are the best kinds, because they can hug me back." Cynder said in a sickeningly sweet voice, matched with a cute grin.

Spyro's smirk was dashed, and his cheeks turned the slightest shade of red. To this, Cynder's grin grew brighter. Clearly, this round went to the female dragon on the rug.

"Alright...you've got me there. I humbly concede." Spyro chuckled in defeat, graciously stepping over the rug's threshold and joining Cynder at the center.

"Mmm...final score of the day: Cynder 2, Spyro 0~" The black dragoness taunted playfully, sticking out her tongue at the purple dragon as he approached.

"Nobody likes a sore winner, Cynder." Spyro mockingly scolded. "I put up with enough of that with Sparx around, thank you."

As the male dragon laid himself against the thick rug, he stretched out his body and unfurled his right wing like an unspoken invitation. The sleek black dragon re-positioned herself, laying her head just under Spyro's chin, her body nested against his. Like a blanket, the extended wing draped and curled itself over and under Cynder's form, effectively securing the two of them in place.

For a long moment, there were no words, only the sound of the faint crickets from the forests beyond the temple walls, audible through the stone windows. Cynder listened to these comforting sounds with welcome - both in body and mind, she was relaxed.

"...You know, I never would have imagined you were the cuddling type." Spyro said quietly, listening to the female's breathing just underneath his chin. "In fact, I was completely floored when you nudged up against me, that first night we slept by each other. I didn't say anything at the time, but I was so happy to see you starting to open up. I still am."

"Well then, that makes two of us." Cynder replied in equal volume. "To be honest, I haven't stopped discovering new things about myself since we woke up from Malefor's lair - even before that. Being with you has escalated those discoveries."

Spyro's tail wound its way around Cynder's, until the two were intertwined. With a gentle nuzzle, the male dragon softly exhaled against Cynder's head scales.

"All I know is, being close to you like this makes me calm - very calm." Cynder continued, returning the gesture by rubbing her head against Spyro's neck. "I don't think about my past, I don't worry about my future. Instead, I enjoy the here and now, and that's something I was never very good at."

"...I wish you'd have told me that sooner, I wouldn't have preached about getting up and doing things so much this morning." Spyro said sheepishly.

"Oh please, don't worry about that." Cynder giggled. "You were right, anyway - it is important to enjoy the day sometimes, especially for a night owl like me."

Another deep, slow exhale on Spyro's part. Cynder couldn't help but blush, feeling his chin now resting between her horns. She hadn't seen him this relaxed in quite some time, if ever before. Whatever feelings he gave her, she was now certain he felt as well, and this simple fact caused a swell in her chest.

"I feel similarly, by the way." The male dragon said quietly.

"About what?" Cynder asked.

"Being close with you." Spyro replied. "For me, I feel like...well, like I can best protect you like this."

"Protect me?" Cynder repeated. "From what?"

"From anything. Outside forces, or your own insecurities." Spyro explained, stretching out his back legs into a more comfortable position, claws gripping the thick rug. "It's easier to be there for you, the closer I am."

Cynder's blush from earlier returned with a vengeance.

"Awww, how sweet." She said with a lowering tone. "A valiant hero through and through, huh?"

"Well I've got to be _someone's_ hero now that the world is saved, don't I?" Spyro said with matter-of-fact, as well as a slight chuckle.

"I promise you'll be the first to know if I have a bad dream." The dragoness teased.

Cynder listened to the slightly larger, male dragon let out a powerful yawn. A full stomach must have been the last straw to a rather eventful day. But, then again, the same was true for her. Cynder could hardly keep her eyes open anymore - with every minute that passed, the consolidation of her relaxed senses drew her closer and closer to sleep. Having Spyro keeping her warm and content with his shallow breathing wasn't helping matters any.

"So just so we're clear, purple hero, I don't have to keep an eye out for you running off once the sun comes up, do I?" Cynder whispered to the male laying on her head.

"I promise I'll sleep in for you, but that means you're on duty for breakfast." Spyro mumbled. "Now that I taught you how to catch fish, you should be all set."

"Fine, I suppose that's fair. Now go to sleep, you dope." The dragoness said affectionately, putting her claw over Spyro's and closing her eyes. "Oh, just be warned - if you drool on my head tonight, you'll get no breakfast, because I'll be throwing you out that window."

"..."

"..."

"Cynder."

"Yeah?"

"You're quite easily the best thing to ever happen to me." Spyro whispered, gently tightening his embrace. "Don't ever doubt that. I love you."

Cynder's heart, whittled down enough as it was, melted completely. With an uncontrollable smile, she tightened her claw around Spyro's, and curled her tail together with his even tighter until she no longer could. It may not have looked it, but every ounce of her being fought to remain calm and still for the sake of her slumbering mate.

"...Goodnight, Spyro." The black dragoness purred. "I feel the same, more than you can possibly imagine. I love you, too."

Together, wrapped in an affectionate embrace, the two young dragons slowly lost consciousness together - both in love, and both with warm, content smiles.

* * *

In a far away place, unseen by most, a singular being couldn't help but give an endearing smile to the walls of his quiet chamber. The feelings of affection and love coming to him were so strong, that he could feel them filling not only his mind, but his body as well.

Looking beyond the many books and ancient scrolls that lay before him, the newly-christened Chronicler, Ignitus, observed the large hourglass at the epicenter of his eternal library. It was aglow with a bright blue light, pulsating with warmth.

"Spyro, and Cynder." The ancient dragon breathed, closing his eyes with a sentimental smile. "How truly wonderful. The future of dragons looks bright indeed, my cherished young ones."


End file.
